Running Out of Pain
by DigiExpert
Summary: She lay in bed, blankets pulled tightly about her body. It was late, after midnight she knew. She wanted to be asleep before he came home, and knew he’d be drunk... Kimberly finally decides to break away, but at what cost? Implied Kim/Tommy. Ch. 2 posted.
1. No More

**This fic is entirely written for nightlancer6000, the winner of the contest held for Unlucky Clover. She was the 200th reviewer for the story back in August I believe. Her prize was a story written by me, with a choice of pairing between Tommy/Kimberly or Katherine/Kimberly. She chose the first one and I chose the story. However, school drastically got in the way of writing much of anything and I haven't been able to start this until last month. This is the first chapter of the story, and ultimately there will be three in the end. I hope to finish this by the end of the summer, and possibly work a little on Unlucky Clover. I know I have been greatly neglecting that story, but as my college time nears its end, my focus is on my school work. Come fall it will be on my student teaching.**

**The title for this fic and the song used throughout is the song "Running Out of Pain" by 12 Stones. I do not own Power Rangers, as always. I just write as I am inspired.**

**Anyway, please read and review. A final congratulations to nightlancer6000, to whom this story is for. I kinda went all out since I'm so late in doing this for her. I do hope you'll enjoy.**

**Running Out of Pain - Chapter 1: No More**

_As he raises his hand you begin to understand  
That no love is worth the hate that you feel  
Now you're running out of pain  
And all these feelings feel the same  
So you close your eyes and wish it all away_

She lay in bed, blankets pulled tightly about her body. It was late, after midnight she knew. She wanted to be asleep before he came home, and knew he'd be drunk, as he always was on Thursday nights. He was never any better drunk than he was sober; always angry, always yelling, always painful. She was expected to be something she could not with him, no matter what she tried. She'd given up everything for this man, and it had gotten her nothing in return, only the pain she felt inside. She wasn't sure what she could take anymore; everything felt the same. She was going through the motions of each day, hoping to avoid creating a new riff, a new tear between them. She'd cried so many tears that she wasn't sure what she had left to cry about.

There had been love and attraction when they'd met those years ago. It started out as all relationships do. He had romanced her, made her feel like the most special girl in the world. Her friends had warned her then about Jared; they knew his history, but she wasn't inclined to believe their stories. They never matched what she saw in him, or what he did for her. She dismissed the stories as mere rumors and continued in the relationship, bent on showing everyone that Jared was not what they said. A few years had passed and they had moved in together. He gave her everything she wanted and she had no want for a job while she was finishing a business degree. He provided, and still he was the same person she'd fallen for. Over time, little things began to change. Small things had made him angry, whether it had been something she had said or did; it really didn't matter. No longer could she remember the first time he actually hit her, or the times that followed.

Pain, that was what she recalled. Being hurt by him, emotionally, physically. He took control and made her feel worthless. She should have left long ago, but she had nothing. Because she had continued to let him provide everything, she owned nothing in the apartment and had what little money he had let her keep from the jobs she had held. Stupid, that's what it was. For all the strength and courage she used to have… he had broken her of it. Subservient and shy, that was her position and she preferred to keep that way.

Slowly, she drifted off to sleep, her thoughts tiring her and completely draining her. She was in a gentle slumber, lulled by the silence of the room into a deeper sleep. She dreamed of a place far in her conscience, one of a past time, a happier time, where her high school friends were and the closeness they all shared before everyone slowly drifted away. The times spent at Ernie's after a battle well-fought, the conversation, the friendship, everything shared between the six of them. Laughing over some girly joke with Trini while Tommy and Jason sparred. Zack danced and Billy was trying to study Tommy and Jason. Ernie would serve up strawberry smoothies and nothing could interrupt the feeling inside. She didn't have too many problems then… it was only high school, with a few baddies here and there. She reached for her strawberry smoothie to take another cool sip…

_Smack! _There was a sudden jarring, a blow to her side that threw her into a wakened state. She blinked in the darkness, searching for whatever it was that had waken her up. _Smack!_ Another blow to her side and she was suddenly fully awake. She found herself staring straight into a pair of eyes, his eyes. They were angry and she heard the heavy breathing of a drunken man, vodka on his breath. "Get up," he hissed at her, spittle hitting her cheeks. She slowly sat up, pulling the blankets against her, keeping the fabric between her and him. She felt a stinging sensation across her cheek and realized that he'd slapped her because she wasn't moving fast enough for him. She watched the darkness and the shadows and was able to dodge before he gave another blow. She rolled out of the way, and off the side of the bed.

"Don't start, Jared. Let's just go to bed," she stated softly, trying to coax him away from whatever idea he had in mind.

She heard a grunt, and then the soft creaking of the bed as he sat on it. She breathed in and out slowly, thinking he'd lie down and pass out as he usually did. Just as she was about to breath easy and get back into bed, she felt him grab her arm, pulling her back into bed. He threw her down and climbed on top of her. She looked up at him, somewhat fearful. She could easily knee him; his frame was medium sized, but he was an angry drunk; she'd only make him angrier by doing so. No, she had to bide her time, she had to get away when it was safe. He fumbled with her shorts and his pants. She closed her eyes; this she didn't want to do. "Jared, go to sleep. It's late—"

"Shut up, b-bitch. I'm gon- gonna fuuuck you…" he slurred.

Kimberly squeezed her eyes tighter and prayed it would end soon. She only heard silence echoing in the darkness. She slowly opened her eyes, finding that her body was weighed down. Jared had passed out, and was currently slobbering on the bed. Kimberly easily pushed him off of her and onto his side. She lay there, staring up at the ceiling. She couldn't go on like this anymore. She'd put up with it long enough. She sat up, contemplating the same thing she'd contemplated doing the past year. Could she really do it this time? She threw the blanket aside. Why not? If she didn't do it, it'd be like any other night. She'd chicken out just like any other time. She took one last look at Jared, who was slobbering onto the sheets, reeking of vodka.

Within an hour, she found herself at the Greyhound bus station. It was almost two in the morning, but there were still a good many people in the station at this hour, waiting for buses that were never on time. She glanced around and found the ticket counter to be empty, one person working it. She made her way to the counter, her duffel in hand. "Excuse me," she called when she stood in front of the counter.

"May I help you?" asked a soft spoken middle aged man.

"I'd like to purchase a one-way ticket to Stone Canyon," replied Kimberly, recalling the closest station to Angel Grove from her teenage years.

The man began typing away on his computer, calculating the routes and cities that her ticket would include. "That will put you arriving there in two days and fifteen hours if you leave on the next bus at three. That includes three transfers- one in Houston, one in El Paso, and one in Los Angeles."

"That'll be fine," answered Kimberly, hoping that two days was enough time for her to get away and for Jared to not get smart enough to find her. She pulled out a credit card she'd gotten a few months ago, in case she had to run. Jared knew nothing about it and she hid the bills from him.

"That'll be 224 for the ticket, ma'am."

Kimberly balked at the amount and looked down at the credit card. It cost more than she had thought… would it be worth it? Would she be able to get away from him? If it failed, she'd be out the money it cost…. She handed over the piece of plastic before she could consider any other options. She received the card back shortly and signed the receipt. "All right ma'am, here's your ticket book. Will you place your bag in the square below so I can weight it and tag it for you?" Kimberly placed her duffel on the scale. It barely weighed twenty pounds. She watched as the man tagged her luggage with her destination, and hoped that the time would pass quickly. She couldn't afford delays. She had to get to Angel Grove or else. "Your bus will leave from Gate 8 at three."

Thanking the man, Kimberly took her duffel and looked at her watch. It was now 2:15 and she had forty-five minutes before the next bus. She looked around for gate 8. She found that a small line was beginning to form and decided that it'd be best to join the line before it grew any longer. She made her way across the room and to the line. From what she could tell, there were a few college students in line, along with a couple and a man traveling by himself. Kimberly set her duffel down and sighed. "Long night, sweetie?" came a soft, feminine voice from behind her.

Kimberly jumped, turning to look at who could be behind her. She found a small older woman her height, who stood there smiling. "Oh… why yes," she answered back. The woman continued to smile at her and Kimberly turned around, creeped out.

Forty-five minutes later, she found herself boarding the bus and stuck beside said creepy woman. She yawned, waiting for the bus to simply leave. She was anxious, nervous that Jared had already discovered that she was gone. The sensible side of her knew that once Jared passed out, he was out until at least eight in the morning, usually later. And she'd covered her base with that, knowing that he'd go into work a little later than usual, as it was a Friday. She simply left a note that said she'd gone grocery shopping for the weekend. He wouldn't question this, and couldn't call her, as she had no cell phone. He'd simply go to work and then out to drink. She'd be more than halfway across the country by the time he discovered that she wasn't at home at all. However, her nerves were still on high alert. She knew she needed to sleep, but her nerves kept her from resting in such a manner.

"… Texas. Please take your bags from the bus and refer to your ticket for the next bus you will be boarding. Destinations are posted above the gates. Thank you for going Greyhound," announced the bus driver.

Kimberly roused herself from a restless sleep to hear the second half of the bus driver's announcement. She didn't even know how long she'd been on the bus anymore, or what day it was. She'd gone from bus to bus; she was functioning on automatic. Any sleep she could grab was restless and full of hellish nightmares. She rose from her seat and waited until a space in the aisle opened up so that she could exit the bus. She grabbed her duffel bag from the side of the bus and entered the terminal. She found from the sign above the door that she was in El Paso and from her ticket found that she had an hour wait before the next bus. She was so close… only one more transfer in Los Angeles. She found her gate number to be 17 and glanced over. There wasn't much of a line just yet so she decided to go to the bathroom to freshen up and then grab something to eat.

As she glanced at herself in the mirror, she saw how terrible she looked. Her hair was all over the place, little hairs sticking out here and there. There were large dark circles under her eyes. She knew her breath was terrible and that she couldn't smell the greatest either. She sighed, using the water to pat down the hairs that stuck out at odd angles. It was pointless so she grabbed her bag and left the restroom; she couldn't look any worse than some of the people she'd seen along the way. Some of them seemed to be rich hobos, jumping from bus to bus with only the clothes on their backs. She dropped her duffel at gate 17 and sat beside it, hoping that she wouldn't be bothered or even noticed. It was at that point that her stomach started to rumble with hunger; she unzipped her duffel bag and looked inside from any of her snacks from the previous station she'd stored there. All she found were empty potato chip bags. She sighed; bus station food was expensive and to leave the station to explore restaurants nearby was dangerous, as the bus stations always seemed to be in the worse part of the cities. She double-checked the clock, noting that there was still 45 minutes left to wait. She left her duffel in the line, it becoming her placeholder, and made her way to the station restaurant.

Five minutes later, she had a plate that held chicken tenders and French fries. She balked at the greasy food, but knew it'd be the only thing she'd be eating until the bus stopped at some gas station along the way. She made a mental note to get something really healthy to eat to balance it with the greasy food. She found a table to herself and began to eat her food, hoping that no one bothered her or decided to make it an opportune moment to recognize her from Pan Globals. She hoped that everyone would have forgotten her, but every now and again there was some die-hard fan that seemed to find her. Her mind then drifted back to Jared; she knew he had figured out she was gone. She just didn't know how long it would take before he'd find her. She hoped that she'd covered her tracks well so far. Kimberly only wished there was a way to check on when he found out that she was missing. She figured there would be quite a few people she could call, but knew she couldn't take that risk. All it would take would be one slip up and then her escape and the money put into it would be in vain.

Finishing off her greasy bus station food, she returned to her spot in line that her duffel held, untouched. She had found it really odd that people would simply leave their belongings as placeholders in line when the stations were typically large and full of people who could easily just take the bags and run. That was before she had realized that many people kept their most valuable items on them at all times and that some people were simply good and wouldn't fool with baggage. It was still rather odd. The clock still told her there was a fifteen minute wait before the next bus. It hadn't even arrived yet; she really hoped it'd be on time. Delays were not affordable. Besides, she didn't know how much longer she could bare to be in such a physical state. If the disgust of her own body and looks didn't phase her, then the lack of sleep and increased nervousness did.

Once again, Kimberly found herself staring at her slightly abused ticket packet for the bus schedule. She had to be certain she was getting further and further away from Jared. According to her ticket, there was still twenty-four hours to go until she arrived in Stone Canyon. Once she was there, she was uncertain of what to do next. She could withdraw money for a cab fare to Angel Grove, but that may or may not work. She didn't know which of her friends still lived in Angel Grove. So many had moved away, and others she'd lost touch with after the Turbo incident. She only hoped that someone still lived there, and that that someone could point her in the right direction. She knew where she wanted to go and that she'd feel safe there, even if Jared did find her. All she had to do was get there, and hope that things worked out for the best. So far, she'd gotten lucky; how much more luck would be bestowed upon her?

Twenty-four hours later, she found herself stepping off the bus in Stone Canyon, tired, dirty, drained, and uncertain. The sun was beginning to set, and it was around 6:30. She was thankful not to have encountered any delays along the way for her trip, but all she really wanted right at that moment was a hot shower and a comfortable bed to sleep in. She hadn't slept much at all; barely two hours, if that. She kept waking from nightmares of Jared finding her and taking her back home before she could find any of her old friends or make it to what she hoped would be her safety net. Her stomach growled; she hadn't eaten much either, and didn't care to spend more than she had to on bus station food again. She grabbed her duffel bag and made her way through the station. Unlike the other cities she'd stopped in, she knew her way around Stone Canyon and knew that the station wasn't in a terrible part of town. Across the street she spied three things she could use- a McDonald's restaurant, a payphone, and an ATM machine. It couldn't be so easy, could it?

She was right; it couldn't be. The ATM denied her access to her savings account that she jointly shared with Jared and she knew he'd withdrawn funds from it and cancelled the account as soon as he'd figured something out. He wasn't going to make it easy for her, and she had anticipated that. She replaced her ATM card with another; this was a special account she'd set up over a year ago, sneaking spare bits of money here and there into the account. She took out ten dollars and left the rest be; she couldn't remember how much was truly in the account. She had planned out so much that she'd forgotten to double-check the amount left in the midst of finalizing her plans.

Kimberly suddenly realized that she held in her hand a ten dollar bill, one that wouldn't do her much good to use a pay phone. She needed some quarters. Spying an older couple heading into McDonald's, she strode over to them. "Excuse me," she said, interrupting their hushed conversation. "I need to make a phone call, but all I have is this ten dollar bill. Do you have change for smaller bills?"

The woman looked at her, and Kimberly cringed inwardly. She knew she looked close to street trash. However, the woman didn't question her and pulled open her purse. Instead of handing Kimberly change for her ten, she instead dropped four quarters into Kimberly's palm. "Here you go…this is much easier than fishing for bills," she said with a smile.

"Th-thank you!" cried Kimberly. She hadn't expected the sudden charity, but it helped her to save what little money she had left. She turned to the payphone and laid the quarters on the small metal shelf. She then reached down for her duffel, unzipping a small pocket on the side. She pulled out a folded piece of paper, well worn from being folded and unfolded so much. Kimberly unfolded it once more, staring at the telephone number written there. Those 10 digits would reconnect her to Jason, if he still lived in Angel Grove. She'd been given the number over a year ago, in a letter he'd sent her, giving details of his engagement and the date for the wedding. Jared had found and promptly destroyed it, but Kimberly had written down the number if there was ever an emergency.

Kimberly sighed as she stared hard at the number. She knew this was his last apartment number. If all else failed, she could look up his business in the phone book, the one he'd opened up shortly after completing his college degree- the Aze-ki Karate Academy. She was certain to find his number there, but the chance of his academy being open so late on a Saturday was slim to none. She stared at the piece of paper once again. She only had enough quarters for one phone call; it had to go through or she'd have to beg off someone else. The quarters clinked as they slid into the machine; Kimberly dialed the digits, all the while keeping her fingers crossed. She could hear the telephone ringing, and hoped that he'd pick up.

"…Hello?" answered a masculine voice after three rings.

Kimberly felt relief wash over her when someone answered. "J-Jason?" she asked cautiously, wanting to make sure it was truly him. It sounded like his voice, but slightly deeper than what she remembered. The cry of a infant could be heard in the background, but Kimberly's brain didn't really register this.

"Speaking. Who's this?" he asked in a cheerful voice.

"Kimberly," she answered. She heard a small gasp on the other end.

"K-Kim? Why are you calling? Has Jared done something?" Jason questioned, anger seeping into his voice.

"I've run away from him, Jason. I'm in Stone Canyon. I need to find Tommy. Can you take me to Tommy?" She stated the last bit in a voice that was beginning to beg for help.

"I…yes. I'll come get you. Where in Stone Canyon?"

"McDonald's…please…hurry…" she said softly, as she hung up the phone. Fear was beginning to creep over her. She was afraid that after getting so close, Jared would find her. He knew she was gone. He might figure out where she was going to. She placed the phone back on the receiver and looked around her, just in case. A chill washed over her body as she thought she saw Jared across the street from her, but it wasn't. The man was too tall to be Jared, and his hair was a lighter shade of brown as well. Kimberly slipped inside McDonald's, first seeking out the bathroom and then the counter, lured by the smell of food.

She soon poked at the salad sitting in front of her, and took sips from the cup of water she'd gotten as well. There was no way she was buying a greasy burger and fries. A salad was just the thing she needed to calm her a bit until Jason got there. She stabbed viciously at a tomato, pretending it was Jared's face instead of a fleshy fruit in front of her. She stared at the salad, pondering her next move when she met Tommy face to face. She had to come clean, had to let him know everything. He had always been her protector, and though she'd broken away from that when she went to Pan Globals, she sought it now more than ever. Jared scared her and she needed to be with someone she felt safe with, and who she could trust. She could trust Jason and she could trust Tommy. Why she chose Tommy over Jason, she didn't know. All she knew is that Jason was her connection to Tommy. She'd trust both men as she had before. She just wanted Tommy to help her get Jared physically away from her.

Kimberly was suddenly aware of a shadow standing over her. She gasped and quickly looked up, only to find Jason with a front baby pack standing in front of her. She slowly stood, uncertain if it really was him. He smiled at her, and she smiled back. Her eyes then wandered to the pack strapped to Jason's front, and the baby cradled inside, his small tuft of black hair barely covering his head. "Ryder," answered Jason softly, so as not to wake the sleeping baby. "Laylee and I's first." He moved closer, and gave Kimberly a hug as best as he could with the pack on.

"Jason…I'm sorry…" Kimberly didn't know what to say. The fact that Jason could have had a child slipped her mind. She never meant to bring his family into this. Maybe she should have called Tommy directly.

"Kim, I know what you want and I've contacted Tommy. I didn't explain anything to him, but he knows there's an emergency. I don't know what you've told him in the past, or what he knows about Jared. He's up in Reefside for the summer. He's rented a place and is working on a project that he refuses to tell anyone about. I'll take you there and you can speak with him when you're ready, all right?"

Kimberly nodded slowly. Jason knew she'd want to get to Tommy from what she'd said on the phone. "Thank you," she mustered.

Within minutes, both of them were in Jason's white Taurus and heading toward Reefside, about a thirty minute drive from Stone Canyon. Ryder was in the back, sleeping peacefully still. Kimberly was starting to feel drowsy from the lack of sleep and the lulling movement of the vehicle. Her eyes became heavier and heavier, but she forced herself to stay awake. She couldn't sleep yet, not until she was safely at Tommy's…then she could sleep.

The ride passed in silence; Jason was uncertain of what to say to Kimberly. He knew of some of Jared's treatment toward Kimberly from letters she'd written when it first began. Beyond that he was clueless of what happened recently, or what had caused Kimberly to finally leave. He glanced over at her as he drove toward Reefside. No longer did he see the woman who'd once been a strong, capable teammate. All he could see was someone who was scared and broken. He only hoped that Kimberly could begin to heal among old friends.

Tommy opened the door and stood on the porch as Jason pulled up the driveway. He knew his rented house was in the middle of nowhere, but it was perfect for the research he was beginning for his dissertation. He watched as Jason got out of the vehicle, along with another woman, who carried a small duffel bag… then he realized that that woman was Kimberly. She looked as though she'd been through hell and back to get to Reefside; this was not the girl he remembered at all. Something had greatly changed and affected her. Jason walked Kimberly to the door and to Tommy. "Hey, bro," he called.

"Hey Jas. Care to stay for a bit?" asked Tommy.

Jason shook his head. "Sorry, but I can't. I've got Ryder with me and Laylee is expecting me home very soon. Ryder's already been falling asleep on me. I'll call and check on you soon though."

Tommy smiled. "All right. See you soon." Jason turned back to his car. Within seconds, his car was once again disappearing down the driveway, the taillights soon disappearing. Tommy turned toward Kimberly and gave her a small smile. "Let's go inside and maybe we can talk a little bit?"

Kimberly only nodded. The sight of Tommy was strange. He didn't look like the Tommy she remembered at all. Tommy had cut off all his long hair; it was now short and spiky. His brown eyes though, remained friendly toward her, or what she hoped was friendly. She knew that for awhile after she'd broken up with him, he'd resented her. It had been a few years…she hoped that he would be able to forgive her for what she'd done.

Tommy held open the door for Kimberly and she walked inside, her eyes observing everything around her. The house itself was pretty bare, save for the essentials and a few pictures, most of people she didn't recognize. Tommy guided her toward the couch and sat her down before taking a seat in the recliner across from her. Kimberly looked down at her feet. She felt safer now, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to talk about it, not at this point. The exhaustion was weighing down on her and she simply wanted to sleep, but she owed Tommy some explanation. She sighed and took a deep breath, looking to her feet. Tears began to well up in her eyes. "Jared has been abusing me for awhile now. I couldn't seem to get away from him; he was very controlling and made sure he knew what I was doing at all times. If I didn't do what he wanted, I'd pay the price. I left a few days ago… I caught a Greyhound bus in the middle of the night after he tried to force sex on me while he was drunk. He knows I'm gone. He's cancelled our joint bank account. I just… I couldn't take anymore…" She broke down sobbing, and couldn't say anymore.

As the impact of Kimberly's words settled in his mind, Tommy started to grow angry. Here was someone he'd loved at one point in his life, someone who'd been a different girl then compared to the broken woman who sat in front of him. He had no idea what she'd been through, or who Jared really was, but he knew Kimberly sought safety and she'd gotten in touch with two people she trusted most to help her, and who she knew who could protect her from this man. Tommy looked over at Kimberly, suddenly noticing the silence that had fallen over the room. Kimberly was passed out on his couch. Exhaustion had finally gotten the better of Kimberly. Tommy rose from his spot and guided her tired body down onto the couch. He removed her shoes, and covered her with a blanket. He wanted more answers, but that would have to wait until the morning. Locking the front door, he headed to his own bedroom; there wouldn't be anymore research tonight.

**I hope you'll review and give me some feedback. It'd really make my day. I hope to have the next chapter out within a month. That's my goal at least.**


	2. Safe for Now

**I was completely impressed by all the reviews received from this story, and I know I received even more notices of people adding this to their story alerts. Thank you for all your reviews and comments. It does mean a lot to me. I even got this finished under the one month deadline I'd given myself, finishing it 9 days early. I was afraid I wouldn't get it finished before then, but I did. Plus, this chapter is almost twice as long as the first! I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please refer to my notes at the end of the story for another announcement.**

**Notes: As a reminder, this fic is written for nightlancer6000, the 200th reviewer on Unlucky Clover. The song used is 'Running Out of Pain' by Twelve Stones. One thing I know I've changed from the original timeline is the period when Haley opens her cafe. I couldn't remember when it occurred, but I wanted her to have opened it right before this story took place. I keep thinking that she opened it right before Dino Thunder, but my memory is fuzzy. So that is the only AU bit that I have. As always, I own nothing.**

**Running Out of Pain – Chapter 2**

_And I lie awake and I try to say  
Anything I know, just to ease your pain  
But you hide away, where no one can see  
And it's only you that can set you free_

Tommy shook his wet head to get rid of excess water. He'd been trying to ignore the thoughts that were plaguing his mind and a hot shower had worked, or it had worked up until that point. Now that he couldn't distract himself with hot beads of water, his thoughts took over, and they drifted toward the sleeping woman on his couch. It'd been years since he'd seen her in person; not since the incident during the receiving of the Turbo powers had he had any contact with Kimberly. From what he knew, she'd cut herself off from everyone. However, Jason's stories to him said that it wasn't entirely her fault. Because he was loyal to Kimberly and he had promised to keep what she told him secret, he could only tell so much. Tommy knew that Kimberly's new guy hadn't been all that great, but even he didn't know the entire story. He barely had any clue, it seemed, after what Kimberly told him tonight.

It reminded him of the warning Jason had given him shortly after his marriage to Laylee. _Kim's in a bit of trouble… but only she can get herself out of it. If she comes to you at some point in the future…take her in, no questions. She'll really need our help if that happens._ Tommy remembered being very confused then, and he had tried to get Jason to explain himself more. Jason was firm in not telling him anymore than he could. _I can't betray her trust, Tommy. Just believe me when I say it. When she comes to us, we have to help her, regardless. Promise me you'll do that._ Tommy had promised that day and he'd almost forgotten about the entire situation until Jason had called him earlier that evening.

_Earlier that Evening_

Tommy was sitting amid stacks of books surrounding him in the basement of his rented summer home. It was coolest in the basement, and the quietest room in the entire house, if you ignored the fact that Tommy was pretty far away from the main civilization of Reefside to begin with. To his left was a yellow legal pad full of notes readable only to him, and to his right were the many stacks of books. He still hadn't come up with his dissertation yet and hoped that by reading through the topics in the books he'd pulled and borrowed from countless university libraries that some sort of idea would mesh together in his mind. That was before the telephone started ringing and his concentration was broken.

His hand reached haphazardly for the ringing telephone, knocking over a stack of books in the process. A loud succession of thumps was heard and Tommy groaned. He had been getting a good bit accomplished and now he'd gone and knocked over a stack of carefully sorted books that had been set aside for the next evening. He spent his days working at a new café in town, one that a close friend of his had opened. The job allowed him to pay the rent on the house, and he could get the hours he wanted, just in case something came up. It was rather convenient, and the perfect way to spend the summer. He glanced at the caller ID on the telephone, noting that it was Jason and Laylee's number. "Hello?" he answered in an annoyed voice, wondering what in the world Jason could want. He hoped it wasn't free babysitting again. Ryder was not the easiest baby in the world to care for.

"Tommy, it's Jas. Remember that promise you made me?"

As a matter of fact, Tommy had no idea what Jason was talking about. Had he promised to babysit Ryder tonight and forgotten? Or had he promised to go out with Jason for a guys' night? None of those clicked in his mind and he was confused. "What are you talking about?"

"The promise about Kimberly. Do you remember it?" Jason sounded worried, and concerned. Something was up.

Tommy searched his brain, and it finally clicked. The memory of Jason asking him to take Kimberly in, whenever something terrible happen flooded his brain. "Yes. What's happened?"

"She's in Stone Canyon. I'm taking Ryder to go get her and then I'm bringing her to your house. Are you sure you're okay with it?"

"I—yeah. I'll be waiting for you." With that, Tommy hung up the telephone and set it aside. He sighed. He hadn't expected this. He truly had forgotten about that promise he'd made, but he meant to keep it. He wasn't certain whether it was because he knew it to be a duty to a fellow ex-Ranger or if it was because it was Kimberly. He wanted to say it was solely because it was Kimberly, but then again she had been the one to hurt him. It had been years ago, but he had truly loved her and was deeply in love with her. The fact that she let the distance play a factor in their relationship, as well as use it to her advantage for a 'Dear John' letter had only hurt him more. Love was supposed to be the kind of thing to overcome all obstacles or, at least, true love anyway. Tommy had thought that in high school, but he wasn't so certain now. Love was the type of thing he really hadn't cared for after the short time he dated Katherine. They just hadn't clicked very well, and Tommy still carried the pain that Kimberly had dealt him.

He knew it was all rather easy for another to say "Hey, the pain goes away with time". He knew it was so easy to say that, yet so hard to live by it. After awhile, he'd just kept the pain to himself and forced himself to try to be happy with his life and what he had. He tried to be happy with Katherine, but his heart wasn't in it. In a way, he still yearned for Kimberly's love back then, and still toed a fine line between loving and hating her. He wasn't sure how he felt about that now, a few years later. He really hadn't thought about it. Perhaps he should, since Kimberly was going to be staying with him now. However, first he had to find out what was going on, and just why Kimberly had come to them now. What had happened between Kimberly and the guy she'd been with? And what condition would she be in when he finally saw her again? Had the strong woman she'd once began to bloom into completely disappeared?

As soon as Kimberly stepped out of the car, Tommy had his basic answers. He didn't even recognize her at first. The woman who stood in front of him appeared to be defeated. She looked worn down, and he could tell by her movements that she was uneasy about something. Her eyes darted around the area before settling on his own. There seemed to suddenly appear a glimmer of hope in her brown eyes, but it was soon gone. He wasn't sure what it meant. He kept an eye on her through his exchange with Jason, and then had guided her inside. He had no idea what he was getting himself into, but he knew that he would do what was necessary to help Kimberly out. At the very least, she deserved that.

_Back to Present _

Tommy slipped on a white tank-top and a pair of navy blue boxer shorts. He tossed his wet towel into the dirty clothes hamper. It was almost ten-thirty; Tommy realized that he needed to call Haley and let her know that he'd be in late to work, if at all tomorrow. He wasn't certain which of the two would occur. It all depended on Kimberly, and what she wanted. Tommy knew he'd be in for an earful. Calling Haley late was one thing. Calling Haley late and with a reason that he couldn't fully explain was another thing entirely. He decided it was best to get it over with and picked up the telephone, dialing Haley's number slowly. He waited for her to pick up as the telephone started ringing.

"What is it, Tommy?" asked a tired, but patient Haley.

Tommy groaned inwardly. He'd gone and woken her up from her sleep. "Listen, Haley. I'm not sure if I'll be late to work tomorrow, or if I'll be in tomorrow at all…"

"Spit it out, Tommy. You're no good at beating around the bush."

"An emergency has come up. I can't really explain it to you, but Kimberly's come to Reefside, and it's important that I stay with her as long as she needs me to. I wish I could tell you more, but I really can't right now."

"This isn't another one of your lame excuses to skip off and work on your dissertation again, is it?" asked Haley suspiciously.

"I promise it isn't and that I'll explain it better when I can. Trust me on this." Tommy knew Haley was rolling her eyes at that one.

"Where've I heard that one before?" came the reply. "It was only a bit of gasoline…how was I supposed to know it'd set the grill and my hair on fire too?" she mimicked in as masculine of a voice as she could muster, dripping with sarcasm of course. "All right. Come in if you can. I've pretty well got it covered. Sundays aren't so crowded. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going back to drooling over my accounting paperwork." With that, Haley hung up.

Placing the telephone on the table, Tommy sighed. He wasn't sure what to make of Haley's mood. At least she hadn't bitten his head off, but did she really have to bring up the reason why his hair was cut into a short and spiky style? The gasoline wasn't supposed to set the grill on fire, nor somehow catch his ponytail on fire either. Crispy hair had to be cut, and Tommy had been left with his spikes. It was an incident he'd rather forget, but one that Haley loved to bring up. He decided that he'd check on Kimberly to get his mind off of it.

He found Kimberly still conked out in virtually the same position he'd lain her in. She hadn't moved and he knew that she had to be beyond exhausted. Her words came back to him..."_Jared's been abusing me for awhile now…"_ She had been upset and scared. He could see the look in her eyes. He knew she was gone, and she was afraid he'd come after her. That's why she'd come to Tommy and Jason. They would be able to protect her against Jared, at least, that is what she wanted, and Tommy knew it. She sought safety with the two men that she could always count on. Tommy sat on the edge of the couch, not close enough to touch her, but close enough to study her in the dim light left on in the room. Her body appeared to have suffered normal traveler's fatigue, accompanied by fear. Tommy could see no marks of abuse on her body, but then again she was covered up. He wondered if Jared had been smart enough to leave marks where they couldn't be seen.

Looking closer, Tommy became frustrated. He knew he wouldn't find the answers he wanted by looking at her. It wasn't as if he could get the answers directly from her sleeping form. What he wanted to know was why she deserved to be treated this way. No one, not even Kimberly, deserved this. Everything about Kimberly was different, and he'd realized that as soon as he'd seen her. This wasn't the Kimberly he knew and remembered. That Kimberly wasn't broken and spared. She had plenty of options left. The Kimberly of the present was running out of options, and this might have been the last one she had. It very well could have been her last chance. Tommy sighed and pulled the blanket around her closer to her chin. He hoped Kimberly would trust him.

_You think you've escaped to freedom… but I'm coming for you…just wait and see. You'll pay for this!_

Kimberly sat up suddenly, clenching the blanket around her, letting loose a sudden sob. Jared's words from her dream rang in her ear. Her eyes shifted back and forth, searching the shadows for him. Every shadow had the chance to be him, trying to blend in with the furniture. Heart pounding, she rose from the couch, and began combing the room over. She searched and made sure that each shadow connected to an object.

"Kim?" called a voice softly.

Kimberly jumped and started to scream. Tommy rushed over to her, looking her directly in the face. He did not dare touch her yet, for fear she might lash out and think he was Jared. "Kim, Kim, calm down. It's me, Tommy. I'm here. Jared's not going to get you here. Shh…"

Kimberly looked up at him with terror-filled eyes. Tears streamed down her face and she wasn't sure whether or not to believe Tommy. "He will. He knows I'm gone. He's coming for me. He always does…"

Tommy took a few tentative steps closer to Kimberly and placed his arms around her from behind. He felt her body tense up, but she didn't pull away from him. "If he comes after you here, he'll have me to deal with. Jason will be my backup. You're safe here, Kimberly." Tommy chose his words carefully. He didn't want to make promises he didn't know if he could keep. He also didn't know how well Kimberly would have taken him telling her to trust him or his word. He wasn't sure what she thought of him and their past together still, or what she thought of men in general. She wouldn't even relax in his arms; he couldn't risk her pushing away the friends she'd once fought side by side with. He had to let her discover for herself that she could be safe with them, and that if Jared happened to find her in Reefside that she'd be backed by Tommy and Jason.

"Safe for how long?" she asked softly, so softly that Tommy almost didn't hear her.

"I don't know, Kimberly. I wish I could tell you for certain. I wish I could tell you he won't find you here. What I can tell you is that I won't let you down." He looked down at her; Kimberly appeared to be glancing at something unseen in the distance. Her body still wouldn't relax against him. "What do you want me to do?"

Kimberly shook her head. "I don't know," she whispered.

Tommy guided her back toward the couch and sat her down gently. "You should try to sleep again; you're exhausted from your trip." He gently pushed her shoulders so that she laid back down. Tommy pulled the blanket over her body and started to get up, but he was stopped by her hand shooting out and grabbing frantically onto his wrist.

"Stay with me until I fall asleep," she whispered.

Nodding, Tommy sat back down on the couch. "I can do that, Kim." His hand reached out and touched her back. He began to rub slow circles on her back, much as a parent would for a frightened child. She still tensed up at his touch and didn't relax. Tommy chose not to say anything, instead continuing since he didn't receive any reprimand from Kimberly. Twenty minutes later, Kimberly's body relaxed and Tommy knew she had finally fallen back to sleep.

Slowly she came around to consciousness again, openly her eyes and promptly closing them again due to the intrusion of sunlight through the windows. She groaned and turned her head away from the light and buried her face in the pillow. As she lay there, the night and the terror came back to her piece by piece. She'd fought against Tommy because of the past. He would have had to have been blind to have not noticed something strange. Kimberly sat up slowly, drawing her knees up to her chest. She wondered what Tommy thought of her now that he'd seen her. He was probably too kind to tell her how weak she really was, how a Power Ranger wouldn't have stood there and taken what she'd been through. Then again, she didn't just stand still and let it all happen. Gradually it had evolved into that. Maybe she would have been better off just to be able to go back in time and never have met Jared. Then she never would have sent that letter to Tommy and started dating Jared. Things wouldn't have gotten out of hand then, and she wouldn't be in the predicament she was in now.

Could she have done things differently? Would she take the opportunity to warn her younger self if she were able to go back in time? Prevention would be a key measure, but in the world she lived in, there would have been no way to prevent what had happened. What would a Power Ranger have done? Or would any Ranger have been able to predict what would occur? All she had been able to do was defend herself to the best of her abilities and do so in a way that avoided incurring his wrath even more than he'd already done. She rested her head on her knees as she contemplated her actions. She'd never really thought about what she'd done; she'd only done what she knew would bring less pain to herself.

"Kim?"

Kimberly jumped as she was jarred from her thoughts in the quiet of the morning. She didn't move her body from the position she was in. Instead, she tersely answered. "Yeah?"

Tommy moved closer to the couch. He saw Kimberly in a curled up position and decided it would be best not to try and touch her. He had slept on and off the night before. What Kimberly had told him had disturbed him, and he knew it wasn't the entire story. Whether or not he'd get that remained to be seen, but he wasn't pushing it. "I was wondering when you'd get up. It's past eleven now, but I didn't want to wake you since you hadn't sleep much during your trip. I have to go to work now; I wasn't supposed to go in today, but Haley's got an emergency and needs me to go in and help. Will you be okay here, or do you want to come with me?"

Once again, Kimberly stared off into the distance instead of looking at Tommy and answering. "I don't want to go out in public. I look terrible and I don't need pity from anyone else." She suddenly felt annoyed and couldn't pinpoint why.

"Will you be okay here? There's a security system with the house and I'll leave you my cell phone number, just in case you need anything."

"I'll be fine, Tommy. It's only a few hours, right?"

"It should be. I'll try to get back as soon as possible. I'm really sorry about this."

Kimberly shook her head. "I didn't come here to be a burden, Tommy. I know you have things that come before me."

Tommy sighed. That was not what he wanted to hear her say, but he wasn't going to push her. "If you need anything, there's plenty of food in the refrigerator. You have free reign of the house, but I'd rather you didn't go into the basement. I've got all my books and research for my dissertation laid out there and don't want anything disturbed. Other than that, you can do what you want. My cell phone number is on the table."

Kimberly nodded her head. All of a sudden she wanted to be left alone, yet she didn't want to be. She couldn't understand these conflicting emotions. Tommy was only being kind, yet she was pushing him away and knew she was doing so. She heard the door shut softly and then a series of electronic beeps as the security system locked the house. Kimberly realized she was completely alone and became nervous. She didn't feel comforted by the fact that the house was locked and would sound an alarm should an intruder venture up Tommy's driveway. Her eyes glanced toward the windows and she realized that the curtains were open, making her visible to anyone outside. She rose and quickly shut the curtains, feeling that this extra precaution was needed. She then ventured into the kitchen and did the same thing; the other rooms she left alone because she would either not be using them, or they didn't have windows. After double-checking to make sure that the kitchen and the living room were the only rooms that needed the curtains shut, she felt a little bit safer.

She found herself in the kitchen, and leaned against the marbled counters. She had time to kill until Tommy came home, but he'd never given her a set hour. He could come home at any time, within the next few hours or even six hours later. She didn't know, and not knowing made her fear heighten. She decided that it would be best to keep her mind distracted, if only for awhile. She looked down at her body, not pleased with herself at all. She suddenly felt slimy and dirty, being reminded that she hadn't had a shower in over two days. She couldn't stand feeling that disgusting after such a trip and decided that a shower was in order.

Hot, rushing water soon washed over her body. The spray was a welcome cleanser. She'd merely tossed the clothes she'd been wearing up until that point onto the bathroom floor and stepped into the shower. The water wasn't making her feel any cleaner so she increased the temperature until she felt burning pricks against her skin. She stood under the water for a few minutes until she could no longer stand the sensation. Kimberly returned the water to a more acceptable temperature and began to lather body wash into her skin and wash her hair. She repeated the process quite a few times, not feeling any cleaner than the first time, even though she smelled nice and could no longer feel the dirt and grime on her body.

_I'm clean physically, but otherwise I still feel dirty…_ She slowly sat down in the bathtub, again drawing her knees to her chest as the water continued to fall from the shower head. She didn't know how someone could clean themselves up so that they didn't feel dirty on the inside. She felt disgusted with who she was, and what had happened to her. Anger rolled over her in small waves. She had let this happen to her. If only she had never met Jared, none of this would have happened. He would have never taken control over her life and she wouldn't have become the weak woman that she now saw. She allowed herself to fall for Jared, and she allowed herself to send Tommy the breakup letter so that she could date him without feeling bad about what she was doing to Tommy. How could she have thought that Jared would be the one that made her happiest. Look where that had gotten her. Instead of happiness, her life had become a living hell. The grass wasn't greener on the other side, and Jared never did compare to Tommy, in the end.

_I was foolish enough to think that Jared would get better and that he'd never change. I thought he'd be the loving person that I first met, the one who surprised me with flowers here and there, or called me up at random times to simply say 'I love you', but I was wrong. He never changed, only got worse, and I never saw that until it was too late. What right do I have to call myself a former Power Ranger if I can't even save myself and my own life?_ Her thoughts were interrupted as cold water began to fall and she started to shiver. Quickly, she turned off the water and grabbed for a clean towel outside of the shower. She dressed slowly in clean clothes she pulled from her duffel- blue jeans and a yellow t-shirt. She had to get her mind off things. Showering hadn't helped a bit.

Kimberly wandered into the kitchen and began looking through Tommy's food supply. She found that he kept very little on hand and she wasn't sure if it was because he was living by himself or if he simply forgot. She scrounged the freezer and finally decided to eat one of the pizza Hot Pockets there. It was better than nothing, and at least it wasn't completely greasy and deep fried. She'd had enough of that for a long time to come. After she heated it up, she placed it on a plate and carried it back into the living room with her. She found herself staring right back at her.

She came face to face with Tommy's many photographs he kept, her eyes having settled on one of herself, sitting on the rock by the lake back in Angel Grove. It was taken shortly before Pan Globals and the craziness of training. She couldn't remember who had taken the shot, whether it had been Tommy or one of their friends. In the photograph she was smiling; it was one of her smiles that could make others smile in return. How she had had bright hopes for her future then. Her eyes continued to roam over the photographs, lighting on one of the entire group together, before Jason, Trini, and Zack had left the team. There was another group shot, this time composed of people she didn't know, save for Tommy. She assumed it was people Tommy had met in college. There was a girl with reddish brown hair who had an arm wrapped around Tommy's waist. She glanced over the other pictures, and kept seeing the same girl over and over again. She could only assume that it was Tommy's girlfriend and he didn't have the heart to tell Jason no when he brought Kimberly.

At any rate, the girl was beautiful and Kimberly admitted that openly. Kimberly saw a photograph of the girl tinkering with something electrical and guessed that she was good with her hands. She only hoped that Tommy would not be another Jared, would not treat this girl, whoever she was, the way Jared had treated her. She mentally slapped herself for even thinking that. Of course Tommy wouldn't do that to his girlfriend. He'd never done that to her, during the times they'd dated. She had no reason to believe that Tommy would ever do that to a person, not after the hell he'd gone through as the evil Green Ranger. Kimberly turned away from the photographs when her eyes lit upon one of Trini serenely staring off at something in the distance. That photograph had been taken at the park as well.

Trini had been the one she'd confided in for most of her life. Up until Pan Globals, she could think of no one who understood better than Trini. There was always some thought left unthought, always one more solution that hadn't been considered before. She'd kept in touch with Trini up until Jared had taken away all her contact with Trini. Kimberly couldn't place her finger on it, but Jared seemed to fear this woman that he'd never met and so forbid Kimberly to speak to her, presumably because it cost too much for long distance. Kimberly wondered if he thought that Trini would have gotten Kimberly away, helped her to make her escape. Perhaps Jared realized that this girl was capable of taking his control away and so he took control of the situation before it became out of his hands.

Kimberly wondered what had happened to Trini. She couldn't remember the last time she talked to her, but she remembered Trini had been in Massachusetts at that point, working for some computer company whose name Kimberly couldn't remember. As far as she knew, Trini could still be there, or she could have moved on, to a new location and another job. What Kimberly did know is that Trini enjoyed traveling and visiting new places. After the Conference she'd toured Europe before returning home and making her way across the country in search of her calling. Kimberly knew that Trini and Jason had dated for a little while, but called it off when they realized how different the paths they wanted to take in life were. Jason had preferred to stay closer to home and in relatively one location while opening his own business; Trini had been uncertain of what she wanted to do, but being such a capable woman, she traveled where she wanted and found work wherever she went. She was always in search of happiness and peace of mind.

Over in another part of Reefside, another soul was searching for peace of mind. Tommy bussed tables and kept wondering what Kimberly's entire story was. Tommy knew it was pointless to try and pull it from her, as well as beyond rude. He couldn't do that, but he had no idea how to help her fully unless he knew more of her story. He didn't know what to do.

"Tommy! Order for table two is ready!" called Haley from the back of the Cyber Café. She set a tray with three fruit smoothies onto the cool countertop.

Tommy grabbed the order from the counter and quickly wound his way through the crowd, distributing the smoothies at table two before returning the tray back to the counter. He returned to his thoughts, keeping an eye on the door for newcomers. Jason wouldn't divulge anymore information; he'd made that clear long ago. Tommy didn't know who else he could ask for help. A group of high schoolers entered the café and took a seat at a table in a far corner. Tommy took down their orders and gave the slip of paper to Haley to prepare.

"Here's table five while you're at it, Tommy. I hope you know how much I appreciate this…I don't know what I would have done otherwise. If Duane hadn't cancelled on me on the last minute, I'd be in pretty bad shape right now." She flashed him a smile as she handed him a tray with two milkshakes.

Tommy continued to work throughout the afternoon, just as confused as ever. Then he realized that he could still contact one person that might be able to help him. Or at least, give him some ideas because he had none. He made a mental note to call Trini as soon as his shift was over. She always had her cell phone on her, so he was pretty sure she'd answer him when he dialed. He was more worried about what she'd say. He didn't know what she knew about Kimberly's situation, but she had to know something. It was worth a shot. He glanced up at the clock, noting that it was ten after five. The crowd had begun to slowly die down and very few people were in the Cyber Café at this point. Haley closed early on Sundays, unless there was a special event taking place.

Finally, after wiping down all the tables, Haley let Tommy go. She handed him a chocolate milkshake on his way out. "Here, take this to your friend. Chocolate is always a mood enhancer." Haley grinned at him. "Let me know how things go, all right? I know you won't tell much, but just take care of yourself and her, all right?"

Tommy nodded. "I will. Thanks, Haley," he said as he waved and then walked out the door, milkshake in hand. He pulled out his cell phone on his way to his Jeep. Scrolling through his address book, he found Trini's cell phone number and pressed the call button. As he set the shake in the cup holder and put the keys into the ignition, he heard the default ringing; two rings, then three were heard and he hoped he'd not caught Trini at a bad time. Finally, she picked up on the fourth ring. "Hello, Tommy," she announced cheerfully.

"Hey Trini." Tommy heard the sounds of a crowd in the background. "I've not caught you at a bad time, have I?"

"No, I'm just taking an evening walk. What's up?"

"Kimberly's here. Jason dropped her off at my place yesterday. She won't talk much about what happened. I'm pretty clueless, and Jason refuses to tell anything. I don't know what to do."

"Don't force her to tell you anything, Tommy. The last I heard from her, things were very rough. Like Jason, I promised Kimberly I wouldn't tell anyone what was going on. Things weren't terrible back then, but they weren't good either. I'm guessing that since she's with you, things came to a head."

"As far as I know. She's been scared and had some sort of nightmare last night. I'm just uncertain as to what to do. I mean—"

"Where is she now?" asked Trini in an urgent, concerned voice.

"She's at the place I rented in Reefside. The security system is on, just in case."

"Listen to me, Tommy. Keep her safe and always know where she is. Jared is capable of almost anything and I'm very certain he's trying to track her down. With any luck, that's what he'll do. He plays off a kind personality to those Kimberly loves and they suspect nothing. He's very believable."

"How do you know that?"

"He tried it with me. I called once, to try and talk to Kimberly. It was a long time ago. He answered. I wasn't happy to talk to him, but you'd be amazed at how sweet this man can be over the phone. If I didn't know any better, I would have been jealous of the kind man Kimberly was dating. I knew better though, and that didn't make him happy at all. When I tried to confront him, he hung up on me. The next time I tried to call Kim, I couldn't. I'm pretty sure he had my numbers blocked."

"I can't always take her to work with me. Wouldn't it be worse to have her seen in public with me?"

"Yes, that's true. How tight is your security system? I hope you didn't rig it up yourself."

Tommy suppressed a groan. "No, Haley did it. She doesn't trust the companies these days and said her system was better than anything they could provide. She bought system off of some company and then used her own skills on it. It's pretty foolproof."

"That's your friend from college, right? The computer genius?"

"Yeah. Kimberly's pretty safe when I'm not home."

"Just make sure you can protect her when you are home. Take good care of her, Tommy. I know the history between you two isn't the greatest, but you have to remember how things were in high school and your duties as a Ranger. She used to be your friend, our friend. Right now, she needs our help. She's going to fight you though, so just go along with her. She'll learn she can trust you in time, as long as you are careful."

Tommy began the drive up his driveway and nodded to himself. He noticed the milkshake was starting to sweat and deep down, hoped it cheered Kimberly up some. "All right. I'm almost home, so I'll let you go. Thank you, Trini."

"Keep in touch with me and let me know how things are from time to time. Bye, Tommy."

Tommy hung up his cell phone as he pulled up in front of his house. He grabbed the milkshake and placed his cell phone in his pocket. He kept his keys in hand, to disable the security system. He suddenly realized that he had never told Kimberly how to tell if he was him returning home. He didn't want to ruin the milkshake, so he set that down beside the front door. Then he began the task of disarming the security system, which involved a series of three keys in three different locks, then a five digit access code, and finally a fingerprint scan. A click meant a successful disarming, and Tommy turned the doorknob cautiously, slowly opening the door.

Unbeknownst to Tommy, Kimberly had heard the clicks and whines of the security system in the house. She had heard the car pull up, and someone's heavy footsteps outside the door. She hadn't dared to look outside because it could very well be Jared. She knew that he wouldn't let some security system stop him if he saw her. She had been in the living room, watching some television. She'd kept it low in volume so that no one would hear it if they snuck up to the house to peek through windows. As soon as she'd heard the car pull up, she quickly turned the television off. Her heart caught in her throat and she listened intently, hoping to decipher who had stopped by. Slowly, she'd backed away from the television, searching around her for a place to hide. She heard someone beginning to turn the doorknob and knew she was out of time for a hiding place. Instead, she backed up until she was against a wall beside one of the tables in the living room. She drew her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms tightly around them. As she buried her head in her knees, she began to cry silently, thinking that this was where it ended and Jared took her back to the hellhole he called their home.

As Tommy peeked inside the door, he noticed that no one appeared to be around. Not wanting to frighten Kimberly, he began to call softly. "Kim? Kimberly? It's me, Tommy. Where are you?" He didn't get an answer and stepped into the living room, looking around to see if Kimberly was nearby. He spotted her by a table against the far wall, the table where he kept some of his paleontology awards he'd received throughout his studies for his undergraduate and masters degrees. She had pulled herself into such a tight ball that Tommy almost overlooked her. He crept slowly over to her, reaching his hand out slowly. "Kim? Kim, it's me, Tommy," he called as he laid a hand against her arms. He felt her shaking under his touch. Tommy knelt down and gently touched her sides. "It's all right, Kim. I'm not Jared. Jared's not here. I'm home from work. You're safe…" he whispered, not certain if he was doing any good or not.

After a few minutes, Kimberly finally looked up at him. "Tommy?" she questioned in a soft voice, not seeming to have heard him the first time.

Tommy nodded. "It's all right. I'm here. I've got something for you too. Let me get it. Tommy rose and went back to the door to retrieve the half melted milkshake for Kimberly. He brought it over to her and knelt down once more. He grinned sheepishly at her as she looked up at him questioningly. "Haley made it for you. She said it might make you feel better." Anger started to creep across Kimberly's features. "I didn't tell her anything," answered Tommy before she could speak. "She simply knows you are here and aren't feeling very well. She thought you might like something to cheer you up a little." He held out the shake to Kimberly again and she took it from him, slowly sucking at the straw. Tommy smiled, and took a seat on the floor across from her.

Kimberly sucked on the chocolaty concoction, slowly savoring the milkshake. She hadn't eaten anything since that morning and was rather hungry. Still, she handed Tommy back the shake, only having drank half of it. Tommy looked at the shake, and then back at her. "Oh! I'm sure you're hungry for real food. I don't keep much on hand, but I'm sure I can find something to make for us."

Tommy rose, and went scrounging around his kitchen cabinets and freezer. He really didn't keep much on hand, and what he did keep was stuff that he could easily fix without much hassle. The freezer held an abundance of frozen dinners, while the cabinets had simple microwave dishes. He was uncertain as to what he could make that would satisfy Kimberly, but would also mean he wouldn't have to make a run to the store to get ingredients. He was certain that Kimberly didn't want to be frightened for a second time that day. Tommy decided he'd have to make due with what he had and continued to think about what he could combine to make a decent dinner.

Later that evening, Tommy and Kimberly sat on the couch, a pillow keeping them distant from each other. Kimberly had curled her legs underneath her, still making herself as small as she could without curling into a ball. Tommy kept an eye on her out of the corner of his eye. They had finished dinner, a simple stir fry Tommy had thrown together with the frozen vegetables he found deep in the freezer and a bit of soy sauce and were watching television. Nothing decent had been on so they'd gone to watching reruns of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Neither of the two tried to answer any of the questions, nor did they question the other.

Presently, Kimberly began to doze off to sleep. Tommy noted that she could barely keep her eyes open and she was snuggling against the pillows more and more. He glanced back at the show, not really paying attention to it. It was a silly show, but then again he thought most reality television was silly. Again, he glanced over at Kimberly, noting that she'd fallen asleep. He rose to go to bed himself, even though it was only ten in the evening. His cell phone began to ring and he quickly answered it, in hopes that Kimberly wouldn't wake up.

"Hello?"

Kimberly felt warm, and safe. She was surrounded by a gentle pink color that lulled her and sent calm, relaxing waves over her naked body, which lay cradled in lush, green plant leaves. The leaves were covered in some sort of fuzz, giving them a feeling of a soft baby blanket. Kimberly's body was clear of any blemishes or bruises, a perfect being in body and soul. Gentle fairy-like creatures floated around her, smiling and laughing as they played. Kimberly smiled and lazily raised an arm out to them, delighting in the fact that they lit upon her fingers. They playfully nipped at her before going back into the air to perform some aerobatics for her. Suddenly, the air changed and the creatures began to fret and hide. Kimberly began to hear the wail of cacophonous horns as new, different creatures flew over head. She squinted to get a better look and realized every head had Jared's face. A large group of these creatures carried a large net as the flew, and they dropped it over Kimberly's head. She struggled to free herself from the sticky net, but found that the more she struggled, the tighter the net fit her body. She felt darkness closing in around her…

And then she awoke with a start, a silent start. She didn't open her eyes as her hearing slowly adjusted. She heard a mixture of jumbled words, all running together. "Trini…said… nothing to do… told me…. Kimberly… talk….situation…" She had not idea who Tommy was talking to, but she knew it was about her. She frowned, trying to put the words together in a way that would make sense to her sleep jarred brain. Then it hit her: Tommy had talked to Trini, and it'd been about her. She felt something inside her snap, the bit of trust she'd given to Tommy because she thought he'd keep quiet and not ask questions. She kept her eyes closed still, waiting for Tommy to get off the telephone. She tried to focus on what'd she'd say to him, how she'd rip him a new one, but instead all she wanted to do was cry. She felt so betrayed by him and couldn't believe he'd stoop so low so as to get information from an outside source.

"I gotta go Tommy. Laylee's finally gotten Ryder settled down for the night and we're going to watch a movie. I'll talk to you later."

"All right. I'll keep you updated."

"Bye."

Tommy ended the call and placed his cell phone back into his pocket. He looked over at Kimberly, and instead of finding her still sleeping, he found her glaring at him with an intense anger in her brown orbs. "What the fuck did you do?" she hissed at him.

"What are you talking about?" asked Tommy, confused as to where this sudden, intense anger was coming from, and why it was directed at him.

"I trusted you… you went and got information from Trini—"

"I didn't!" protested Tommy. "That's not what happened!"

"Don't you lie to me. I heard you talking! You can't leave well enough alone, can you? You had to know all the facts, didn't you? Did it not occur to you that I didn't want to talk about the hell I've been through?" Kimberly began to sob as she yelled, and stopped talking to Tommy. She simply sat there, and cried.

"Kim, I didn't," began Tommy as he tried to move closer to comfort her.

Kimberly slapped his arm away. "Don't you dare touch me. You've already done enough," she whispered through her tears. "Get away from me!"

Tommy nodded, knowing he'd screwed up. He never should have talked to Jason about Trini and he certainly shouldn't have done so in the same room as Kimberly, even though she had been asleep. He even regretted talking to Trini, since his original idea had been to get her to give him more of the story he didn't know and that Kimberly wouldn't tell him. He was ashamed, and embarrassed. Without another word, he retired to his bedroom, trying to figure out how he could fix things between them. He knew it wouldn't happen easily because he'd broken her trust. From experience, Tommy knew that once trust was broken, it was hard to gain back.

Over the new few days, the two did not speak. Kimberly would have nothing to do with Tommy, and Tommy was still clueless as to what he could do to try and make things better. He rotated between working on his dissertation research and working for Haley. Since he often went to the library, he picked up random books that the thought Kimberly might be interested in. There were some gymnastics books, some biographies of famous people he'd known her to once have an interest in, and a few romance novels thrown into the mix. He wasn't sure if Kimberly ever read the books because they were always in the same place each time he saw them. Haley sent home smoothies and shakes for Kimberly, who refused them all the same. Tommy remembered the first night she'd simply dumped the entire thing over his front. He'd tried talking to Jason on his breaks, but Jason was just as clueless as he was, simply telling Tommy to "give things time". It wasn't doing so well, and Tommy hated living with someone full of anger toward him.

Kimberly was adamant about keeping quiet and stewing in her anger for the first day or so. After awhile, even doing that became unsatisfying. She was still hurt that Tommy would have broken her trust in such a fashion; she'd thought he'd be better than that. She didn't want to hate all men, but she considered it. _Maybe I'll just become a lesbian instead_ she thought sarcastically, and even though it seemed satisfying, she knew it was stupid to even think that. She watched day after day as Tommy tried to make things better, bringing her books from the library and sweets from Haley, but she didn't want that. She didn't want him to buy her trust back with such things.

The following weekend, Tommy worked in the basement while Kimberly stayed upstairs. Tommy had told her that he would be downstairs if she needed anything, knowing that Kimberly wouldn't answer him. Kimberly had nodded and listened to his retreating footsteps before settling on the couch. There on the table sat the same books Tommy had gotten for her, and she idly picked up one of the novels before promptly setting it back down. Instead, she picked up the television remote and began flipping through the channels. Tommy settled down amongst his pile of books and stack of notes. Neither had remembered to set the security system, as Tommy had always done before retreating into the basement as a safe guard.

Fifteen minutes later, Kimberly heard a car pull into the driveway. She thought nothing of it, thinking Tommy had set the alarm. She knew it could be Jason anyway, bringing Ryder over, or even Haley. Neither of the two had stopped by since Kimberly had been there, but Kimberly had guessed that they were as close of friends as Tommy had. It wasn't until the door knob jiggled that Kimberly knew something was wrong. It wasn't Jason or Haley- they would have rang the doorbell. It had to be an intruder…why wasn't the security system going off? Kimberly made herself smaller against the couch, hoping beyond hope. The door creeped open and she heard footsteps behind her.

"Hi honey…I'm home…" called a masculine voice. Kimberly's heart caught in her throat—it was Jared.

The footsteps drew closer and she knew that he'd seen her. When she looked up, there he was, towering over her, grinning manically. "J-Jared…" Kimberly croaked, her voice quickly leaving her. She could see the anger radiating off his body and knew he wanted her back.

"You think you can get away like that?" he whispered angrily, grabbing her arm to yank her off of the couch. Kimberly whimpered as he held it tightly, beginning to twist it. "You think I can't find you? That I don't know where to look?" With his other hand, he grabbed her wrist and snapped it back. There was a sickening crunch, and Kimberly howled in pain. Jared threw Kimberly to the floor. Her head hit the side of the table on the way down, creating a bleeding gash. Still she lay there, unable to speak through all the pain.

"I travel clear across the country to find you after talking to your dear, sweet mother. She told me you might be staying with friends. I was able to get all their addresses. She recommended I stop to see Tommy first…" Jared kicked Kimberly hard in the stomach, doing it once again as Kimberly tried to protect herself with her arms. He reached down and grabbed the front of her shirt, pulling her off the ground. "You think all that was easy for me?! You think I like wasting my time and money to get your poor ass?" Kimberly refused to look at him, much less speak to him. Jared began slapping her, forcing her to wince and try to pull away. "Answer me!"

"You answer me first," Tommy stated coldly from behind. "And tell me what the fuck you think you're doing to her." He gazed at Jared, calculating what he could do to get Kimberly away from him. He had no choice but to get Jared into a state of unconciousness.

Jared sneered at Kimberly. "Who's this? Your _protector_?" He tossed her to the ground. "Listen pal, I came here for her. She ran off. I have every rig—" Tommy's fist swing and connected against the left side of his face. Jared quickly shut up and lunged at Tommy, prepared to deliver a right hook of his own.

The two began an all out brawl. Jared was stronger than he first appeared, and Tommy soon had to adjust his strategy. He was able to dodge most of Jared's blows simply due to the fact that Jared was fueled by nothing more than blind rage. As much as Tommy wanted to prolong the fighting to give Jared his due, he knew he had to quickly end it. From what he could tell, Kimberly needed to go to a hospital, and soon. She lay unconscious from what he could tell. Again, Tommy worked at dodging Jared's blows before he saw an opening. He gave a well-aimed punch to Jared's chin, hoping he remembered the technique properly. Soon after he connected, Jared crumpled to the floor like a stone.

Tommy gave a sigh of relief before kneeling by Kimberly's side. He didn't want to move her, knowing that the injured should never be moved. He studied her, noting her wrist, her head, and the bruises that had begun to form. With one hand he reached out and laid it overtop of Kimberly's uninjured one. He pulled out his cell phone with the other hand, quickly dialing 911. As the phone rang, Tommy looked down at Kimberly, who looked like a broken rag doll. Tears started to roll down his face as he began to realize the brink of the hell Kimberly had lived the past few years. He never knew someone could be capable of breaking and defeating someone they supposedly loved until it had been placed before his own eyes. His tears fell onto Kimberly's side, and he squeezed her hand gently. _I promise we'll get you through this Kimberly._

**Final Notes: I hope you enjoyed this chapter and will leave me feedback and reviews as always. I've always found the Power Ranger genre reviewers to be more exact and direct in their reviews. Again, I'm giving myself another month to complete the next chapter, but I can't do it without your help. Since I work all day, I rarely have much time in the evenings to write. And this next chapter is going to take a bit of research to do at one point. So, I'm asking readers to help me out by finding any bit of information they can on domestic abuse court cases- what they involve, how they proceed, scripts of one maybe, whatever you can find. Use my profile to send any findings you have via my email listed there. As an incentive, the reader who sends me information that is most beneficial will receive a short, oneshot piece featuring either a Kim/Tommy pairing or a Kim/Kat pairing, if they so prefer. The plot will be chosen by me, but the story dedicated to the winner. So please, help me out if you can. I'd really appreciate it!**


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